It's A Christmas Eve Gift
by ChelzToddBrooke
Summary: "Our first Christmas together," she said, her eyes tracing the shape of the tree. She felt Harm laugh beneath her. "What?" "It's hardly our first Christmas together, Mac." -Just a little family Christmas snippet.


Just a cute little Christmas fic that fits into my "Appreciating Fate" universe". Enjoy!

* * *

Harm grunted as the solid weight landed against his chest. He cracked one eye open to see his wife stretched out on top of him.

"Morgan asleep?" He rasped, shifting against the couch cushions. She nodded.

"Your mom went to bed?" she assumed.

"Yeah," Harm sighed, threading one hand through her dark hair and gently scratching her scalp. She let out a contented mewl and relaxed against him.

"Our first Christmas together," she said, her eyes tracing the shape of the tree. She felt Harm laugh beneath her. "What?"

"It's hardly our first Christmas together, Mac. In fact, I vividly remember spending the night in a chair next to _someone's_ hospital bed just last Christmas_," _he kept his tone light despite the twist in his gut as he remembered the state he found her in at the hospital the previous year.

"I almost forgot about that. That's seems like more than a year ago." Mac mused.

"It's been a busy year with a lot of changes. Marriage, baby, transatlantic move." Harm agreed. "Sitting with you in that hospital, I couldn't have imagined the year we had ahead of us. I could've only hoped we would end up here."

"Oh, speaking of being here, I have a gift for you," Mac announced, hoping up from the couch.

"Mac, aren't we exchanging gifts tomorrow?" he asked, shifting into a seated position.

"This one can't wait, it's a Christmas Eve gift," she grinned, handing him wrapped package. He made a curious face and tore at the wrapper. It was what he thought was a framed photograph, but upon closer inspection, it wasn't a photograph at all. What it was put a lump of emotion in his throat. It was a rubbing of his father's name on the Vietnam memorial wall.

"Mac..." he breathed, running his fingers over the name, just like he would if he was at the actual wall.

"I know I kept you from the wall last year and because Morgan insists on coming down with RSV every time we leave the house, we couldn't travel this year, so I thought it was only right to bring the wall to you."

"Mac, this is wonderful. I don't think I ever thought to do this. Thank you." He knew he was at a point in his life where 'visiting' his father at the wall wasn't feasible but it didn't bother him most of the time especially with how busy things had been balancing his promotion, his marriage and fatherhood. But Mac has done exactly as she had said, she brought the wall to him. She took one of the few things that made him feel connected to his father and quite literally put it in his hands.

"You see why it had to be a Christmas Eve gift?" She asked.

"Yeah, I do," he smiled, gingerly setting the frame on the floor next to the couch and pulling Mac into his lap. "I love you," he whispered, capturing her lips in a tender kiss.

"I love you too, Harm. Merry Christmas,"She hummed against his lips.

"Well, almost Christmas," he teased.

"Two hours and twenty seven minutes," Mac rattled off without hesitation.

"You ever going to tell me how you do that?" Harm chuckled.

"Now that would ruin all the fun," she grinned, carding her fingers through his hair and pulling him into another kiss.

* * *

Mac stretched languidly and rolled over, surprised to find her husband absent. However the more she thought about it the more she vaguely remembered him getting up. With another stretch, she pulled herself out of bed. She slipped on Harm's academy sweatshirt and padded down the hall.

She found her husband on the couch with Morgan tucked into his lap. Harm was showing the eight month old the etching from the wall while enthusiastically telling some story about Harmon Rabb, Sr. She was about to join them when Trish motioned her into the kitchen.

"They've been like that since I got up and that was nearly an hour ago. Who knows how long he's been telling that sweet baby heroic stories about his grandpa," the older woman chuckled as she pressed a steaming cup of coffee into Mac's hands. Mac didn't miss the shine of pride in her mother-in-law's eyes. She wasn't sure which Harmon she was most proud of. "Morgan will know senior in the same way Harm did, in fairytales." Trish mused.

"Fairytales?" Mac arched an eyebrow as she took a sip of her coffee.

"I'm sure you've noticed, my son has a major case of hero worship where his father is concerned. It was a picture painted by letters, stories and audiotapes. His imagination filled in the blanks. But to be honest, I'm grateful. Harmon was a wonderful man, but he was also just that, a man. A human being. If Harm had been given more time with him he would've come to realize that. However this way, they both have their own personal superhero," she explained.

"Morgan will have a few of those. Some of Harm's coworkers are helping me create a scrapbook about his biological parents. I want him to know about them and their service to this country," Mac mentioned.

"That's a great idea, Mac. You know that reminds me, I've actually been meaning to thank you,"

"What for?" Mac chuckled.

"Giving me _my_ son back," Trish started. "Harm and I were really close after Harmon disappeared. That of course changed when I married Frank and our relationship was really rocky up until his ramp-strike. Since then, it's been cordial bordering obligatory. But since he married you and you brought my grandson home, we feel like family again. When he asked me to come help after Morgan got out of the hospital...I can't tell you how much that meant to me," she explained, emotion clogging her throat.

"Oh Trish," Mac breathed, setting her mug down and pulling the woman into a hug. "You know better than I do how difficult loving Harm is, but we both know he is so worth it. And even if he's the worst at showing it, he definitely loves back. We are both so grateful to have you in our lives. We wouldn't have made it through the last eight months without you."

"It has been my pleasure. Now we should get in there before he comes looking," Trish smiled.

* * *

Harm looked up when the two women entered the room. There was a weird energy between them. "Everything ok?" he checked.

"Yeah," Mac smiled and reached out to cup his chin. She pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," he returned.

"Are you ready to open presents?" Mac addressed Morgan. The baby squealed in delight. Harm shifted his hold on his son so the boy could bounce on his lap.

"Mac, you sit and I'll distribute gifts," Trish offered. "We'll save Frank's for this afternoon, he should land just in time for dinner."

"Alright then, let's get this Christmas started," Harm added, blowing a noisy raspberry against Morgan's cheek.


End file.
